Head-rest



Dec. 16, 1958 R. D. SCHNOOR- HEAD-REST Filed Sept. 16, 1955 IN V EN TOR.

HEAD-REST Raymond D. Schnoor, Barrington, 111. Application September 16, 1955, Serial No. 534,717

Claims. (Cl. 155--177) This invention relates in general to a head-rest and more particularly to a head-rest for attachment to or use on chairs, beds and other body supporting devices, such as dental chairs and hospital beds.

An important object of this invention is to provide such a device which will readily conform to the surface contour of a head so that the head supporting pressure will not be localized to cause extreme pressure on nerves and blood vessels extending over the bone of the skull, thus making the use of the head-rest more comfortable to patients.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a head-rest having a wide range of action so that it will readily conform to large and small skulls, such as those of adults or those of children of various ages. This is important when the head-rest is applied to a dental chair wherein patients of an unpredictable variety of sizes may be successively seated.

A further important object is to provide such a device formed of readily separable parts so that parts thereof may be readily removed for sanitary reasons, such as occasional cleaning.

Other objects, such as the economy of manufacture and efficiency of operation and assembly will be apparent as the invention is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses an embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a head-rest embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view thereof taken on the plane of the line 22, in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the head-rest shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the parts.

Figure-5 is a bottom plan view of a head-rest band or pad, and;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

To illustrate the invention I have shown a head-rest including a. head band or pad 11, a support 12 therefor carried in a holder 13 of a commercial dental chair, and duplicate pivot elements 14 for operatively supporting the band or pad 11 on the support 12.

The head band or pad 11, shown is an elongated body 21 of flexible material, such as molded soft rubber or a similarly flexible plastic having at least some elasticity, of suitable width to embrace a substantial portion of the back of a head and terminating in rounded ends 22 and 23. The body 21 may be varied in thickness between the lateral edges and longitudinally upon occasion as will be later described. A depending reinforcing head or flange 24 is formed about the perimeter of the body 21 for stiffening purposes and to effect lateral distribution of operating pressures. Any suitable finishing coating or covering may be applied to the top surface 25 of the body States Patent 0 21 upon occasion, such as a foam rubber covering 26 as shown in Fig. 6.

On the under or back side of the body 21, pockets 27 are formed at the extremities thereof by flanges 28 formed integral with the flange 24 about the curved or rounded ends 22 and 23 and extending radially inward therefrom. The flanges 28 are spaced from the under surface of the body 21 to facilitate mounting in operative relationship as will be later described.

The support 12 shown is similar to a common com= mercial type that is mounted to swing between spaced pivot points 31 and 32 near the extremities of a bifurcated arm 33 carrying a ball 34 which is engaged in a gripping device on dental chairs to secure the holder 13 for operation. The support 12 includes a curved bar 35 terminating in cylindrical bosses 36 and 37 at the pivot points 31 and 32 and pivot bearing posts 38 and 39 extending upwardly from the curved bar 35 at equidistant points with respect to the center thereof and toward an axis extending through the bosses 36 and 37. The bosses 36 and 37 are threaded to receive shoulder screws 41 by means of which the support 12 is secured between similar bosses forming the pivot points 31 and 32. Spring washers 42 engaging the ends of the bosses 36 and 37 restrict rotary movement of the support 12.

When the head-rest is to be used with apparatus or devices other than dental chairs, the support 12 may be changed or adapted to requirements while retaining the pivot bearing posts 38 and 39 and the bar 35 to secure the posts in spaced relationship.

The pivot elements 14 illustrated are formed by a metal body 51 bored to receive a pin 52 for rotatably supporting the body 51 on either one of the posts 38 or 39, and cross bored to receive a pintle or rivet 53 for pivotally connecting the head band or pad 11. The pin 52 should have a tight fit in the bodies 51 or one such pin should be tightly fitted into each one of the posts 38 and 39, so that the pins will be retained by one or the other thereof to prevent loss of the pins.

For supporting the head-rest pad 11 on the pivot elements 14 I have shown a centrally concave curved plate 61 having a substantially flat edge flange 62 extending therefrom and proportioned for engagement in the pockets 27. Pivot lugs 63 may be struck downwardly from the body of the plate 61 for engagement with the rivet 53 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and similar lugs 64 may be formed downwardly from the edge flange 62 thereof.

The free end of the plate 61 terminates in a straight edge or square cut 65 located from the center of the lugs 63 a distance substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the flange 62 and the flange 62 should extend to this edge so that pressure on the pad 11 above the ends ofthe flange 62 will cause the plate to rotate about the rivet 53 until the applied pressure is counter-balanced thus causing the pad 11 to conform to the curvature at the sides of an applied head. Between the plates 61 the pad 11 bends readily to conform to the curvature of the back of an applied head in response to the pressure applied. The lateral reinforcing flanges 24 extending along the lateral edges of the pad 11 resist bending more than the central portion of the pad and therefore cause transverse bending to conform to head curvatures in that direction. To assist the flange 24 in supporting the lateral edges of the pad 11 and to cause the plates 61 to automatically open the pad to the position shown in Fig. 1, I have shown elastic elements 66, formed in the present embodiment by close wound helical coils of spring wire extending between the plates 61 near the flange 24 at each side and having their looped ends 67 engaged in companion pairs of the lugs 64.

When resiliency is not required helical coils formed Patented Dec. 16, 1958 3 of soft metal, rubber or commercial metal tubing may be substituted for the elastic elements 66, and in some instances the thickness of the body 21 may be varied between the flanges 24 as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, to influence the transverse and the longitudinal flexing action.

In operation, the head-rest is adjusted to position with respect to the chair and a patient by means of the holder 13 and by shifting the bar 35. The normal positionof the pad 11 is open as shown in full lines, Fig. 1. The hardness of the plastic material in the pad 11 is such that, together with the elastic elements 66, it will resist extensive bending until the weight of a head is applied thereto and will then bend to substantially conform to the shape thereof, over the surface contacted as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 1. The pivot elements 14 permitting automatic adjustment to accommodate unequal flexing of the longitudinal sides of the pad 11 due to unequal skull curvatures at the points of engagement.

While the pad 11 illustrated is. separable from all metal parts for cleaning purposes or for replacement due to the connection between the pad and the plates 61, it will be obvious that the plates 61 or similar devices could be molded into the pad 11, as inserts and therefore permanently connected thereto, with the separable connections being formed between the plates 61 and the posts 38 and 39.

It is thought that the invention and many of its .attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing all of its ma.- terial advantages, the forms hereinbefore described being merely preferred embodiments thereof.

1 claim:

l. A head rest for dental chairs and the like, comprising a head supporting band of semi-elastic material having pockets therein opening on the bottom surface and located near the longitudinal extremities thereof, support means for supporting the head rest in the yoke of a chair including a holder carrying spaced bearing portions, and means for supporting and maintaining curvilinear alignment of the supporting pad including end reinforcing elements one of which is engaged in each one of the pockets in said supporting pad and each one of which is provided with a bearing lug for connection to one of the.

bearing lugs of the holder, the axes of said bearing lugs being located below the top surface of and substantially midway between the inner and the outer ends of the reinforcing elements so that when pressure is applied to the middle portion of the supporting band to move the inner ends of the reinforcing elements downwardly and outwardly the outer ends thereof will move proportionately upwardly and inwardly.

2. The head rest of claim 1 wherein tensioning means is provided connecting the reinforcing elements so as to bias the head supporting band toward an open or head receiving position.

3. The head rest of claim 1 wherein tensioning means is provided connecting the reinforcing elements and underlying the edges of the suporting band so as to reinforce the edges of and to bias the supporting band toward open position.

4. A head-rest, comprising a carrier frame, pivot elements supported thereon at spaced points, pad carrier plates mounted for pivotal movement on said pivot elements, laterally spaced tension springs connecting the pad carrier plates so as to bias said carrier plates toward a predetermined wide open or head receiving position, and a flexible covering forming a head supporting pad carried by and connected to the pad carrier plates so that the flexible covering is secured against relative longitudinal movement while arcuate movement of the ends thereof is permitted.

5. A head-rest, comprising means forming spaced rigid supports, a flexible pad extending between and over said rigid supports, rigid pad holders engaged in said flexible pad near the terminals thereof, and yieldable means tending to hold said pad holders and the pad carried thereby in a predetermined widely curved position, said rigid pad holders being pivotally supported on the spaced rigid supports so as to rock in response to pressure applied to that portion of the flexible pad extending between said spaced rigid supports and thereby move the extremities of the pad upwardly and inwardly toward conformity with changes in curvature of the central portion of the flexible pad.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

